England fought hard to assemble a respectable total on a cold, wintry day in the Punjab, but when the fog cleared the view was a familiar one: another defeat in a one-day series in India. India's pursuit of 258 was far from trouble free, but a winning margin of five wickets with 15 balls to spare was emphatic enough and left them 3-1 up one to play.

Instead of a dead rubber in ODI in Dharamsala, in the foothills of the Himalayas, England would be forgiven for fancying a spot of skiing, but sadly for them the weather forecast is improving and only the cricket is going downhill. A record extended to 18 ODI defeats in their last 20 in India is proof of that.

Smart stats

India won their fourth consecutive home ODI series against England. Of their last 20 matches against England at home (bilateral series), India won 18 and lost two.

The target of 258 is the third-highest successful chase in ODIs in Mohali. India also chased 299 against England at the same venue in 2011.

Suresh Raina's 89 is the second-highest score by an Indian No. 5 batsman against England, after Yuvraj Singh's 118 in 2008.

For the sixth time in ODIs in Mohali, 450 or more runs (batsman runs) were scored with five half-centuries but no hundred.

Joe Root's strike rate of 126.66 is the fourth-highest by an England No. 6 batsman against India (fifty-plus scores only).

The 95-run stand between Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen is the fourth highest second-wicket stand for England in ODIs against India in India. It is also the second highest second-wicket stand for a visiting team in Mohali.

It might have been different had England not fallen again to the curse of Steven Finn's knee. When Finn thought he had Suresh Raina caught by Alastair Cook at first slip, India still needed 80 from 89 balls with what would have been five wickets intact. But Finn's recalcitrant right knee had collided with the stumps again and umpire Steve Davis invoked Law 23, ruling that Raina had been distracted. Cook's protests that Finn was entitled to a warning went unheeded.

Raina, in blissfully enterprising mood, took advantage of his let-off. Only Finn and James Tredwell demanded much respect. Tim Bresnan was despatched with ease, Joe Root's callow offspin routinely picked off, and when met by Jade Dernbach's circus act, Raina was the ringmaster. His unbeaten 89 from 79 balls guided India to victory with such comfort it passed almost unnoticed.

The story of this series has been one of growing India dominance. MS Dhoni has looked as impregnable in one-day cricket as he seemed flawed in the Test series. After England's win in the opening game in Rajkot, fuelled by a late batting assault from Samit Patel, India's batsmen dominated in Kochi and Ranchi and when they got the benefit of an influentiual toss in Mohali, their quick bowlers accepted it with alacrity. They beat England in English-style conditions, although they did have the better of them. As for Ravindra Jadeja, India will be more convinced than ever that they have a player who can balance their one-day side.

India's run chase was a personal triumph for Rohit Sharma, whose selection ahead of Ajinkya Rahane as a replacement opener had not possessed obvious logic on a seam-friendly morning, but who took advantage of easing conditions to move on from a lean run of form which had brought eight single-figure scores in his last nine innings. Rohit burst ahead after reaching his fifty, addressing Tredwell's threat in the process, and had 83 from 93 balls when Finn won a fortunate lbw decision for a delivery slipping down the leg side.

On another day of fallible umpiring, Gautam Gambhir was adjudged caught at the wicket, carving at a wide one and left with a look of unfeigned surprise that the umpire thought he had hit it.

Virat Kohli was gently removed by Tredwell, not as much dismissed as quietly informed that he would take no further part in the game. In the calming manner of a hospital consultant, Tredwell's entire demeanour is designed to allay fears. "Good morning, Mr Kohli, do relax, there is nothing to worry about." But there was and by the end of his first over, Kohli had chipped a gentle return catch as if half-anaesthetised. There must have been some dip, or subtle change of pace, but you could study innumerable replays and struggle to discern it.

Tredwell claimed a second wicket when he defeated Yuvraj Singh's sweep, dismissing him for the fourth time in the series.

England could ill afford to allow let-offs in the field, but both Kohli and Rohit survived half chances. Rohit, on 12, drove Tim Bresnan high to mid-off where Kevin Pietersen leapt to palm the ball in the air with his right hand but failed to locate it as it fell. Kohli was 2 when he pulled at Finn and the ball fell between the wicketkeeper, Jos Buttler, and Bresnan at fine leg.

Buttler was running backwards for a catch which could not have fallen more inconveniently had Kohli marked the spot with a cross, but he was a stand-in wicketkeeper for Craig Kieswetter, and an inexperienced one at that, and it was natural to wonder whether a more experienced keeper would have been more assertive.

India's pace attack made impressive use of a good fast-bowling morning after Dhoni had won the toss. Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded only 30 runs in a probing 10-over allocation delivered without interruption and Ishant Sharma was as dangerous as at any time in either Test or one-day series.

Alastair Cook's methodical half-century was an appropriate response, but his demise, lbw to a ball from R Ashwin that pitched well outside leg stump was another rum decision. Umpires drawn from outside the elite panel, plus the absence of DRS, equals a greater likelihood of error wherever a game is played.

There was 76, too, from Pietersen, but it was a more fretful innings delivered by a batsman anxious for the first shaft of sunlight. He was struck on the elbow as Ishant cut one back and narrowly escaped an lbw decision in the same over when he just got outside the line. He needed 13 balls to get off the mark; 33 to find the boundary, an authoritative straight drive against R Ashwin.

He was illuminated only briefly, muscling Ishant over midwicket for six, but he got an excellent yorker in response as Ishant ensured that for once his bowling figures were not damaged by bowling at the most pressing times.

Cook, for all his frustration at his dismissal, had provided a solid layer, but England's cause was not helped when they lost Eoin Morgan and Patel in quick succession.

Morgan has had a poor series in a country in which, with IPL in mind, he was anxious to advance his reputation. He drove Ashwin weakly down the ground and only reached Yuvraj at mid-on. Patel was promoted to No. 5, presumably with the approaching batting Powerplay in mind, but he made a single in 10 balls when he chipped a return catch to Ravindra Jadeja. Patel stalked off; he has done more stalking off recently than is good for him.

England rallied with 100 from the last 10 overs, energised by Joe Root's maiden ODI half-century, 57 not out from 45 balls, after he had been dropped off Ishant by Kohli at slip. Throughout the winter, in all three forms of the game, Root has proved more adaptable than perhaps even he had expected. His cricketing intelligence is one of his greatest assets.

He should also have fallen on 42, a slog sweep against Jadeja bringing a comical drop by Raina at midwicket. Jadeja's left-arm slows have disturbed England throughout the series. The dismissal of Buttler and Bresnan in his final over left him with 3 for 39.

A paragraph on Suresh Raina, accidentally deleted, was reinstated in this report on January 24

As an England fan, one of the biggest highlights of this whole tour has obviously been the performance of Joe Root. Most people, myself included, figured that, at best, he wasn't ready for international cricket. The maturity he has shown all along belies that. I doubt that many expected him to play an innings like the one he did here either. I certainly didn't. He's certainly hit the ground running more than Buttler did and looks far more composed against spin than Bairstow. On this evidence, I wonder whether they might prefer Root to Hales to open in ODIs if the need arises.

Al_Bundy1
on January 26, 2013, 15:30 GMT

We got lucky with our bowling. Sir Ravindra Jadeja finally showed up and the new pace bowlers have bowled well throughout this series and the previous one. But we still need to fix our top order batting. Indian Selectors should stop living in the past. Sehwag and Gambhir were good until 2011. But they have been failing consistently for the past 2 years. Why is it so hard to replace out of form Gambhir with an in form Dhawan in ODI?? In tests, replace Gambhir with in form Jaffer. This is a good time to build our bench strength in bowling by trying top Ranji performers like Ishwar Pandey, S Kaul, Nadeem, Parvez Rassol of Kashmir, etc.

Harmony111
on January 26, 2013, 5:51 GMT

@Dravid_Gravitas: For a change I agree with you here. You nearly echo what I had said a few days back for DRS. DRS is a wonderful idea but sadly it has a very high price tag and even then it comes with many *s A lot of the things for which DRS is being used or for which other ppl want DRS to be used can be solved with much simpler tools which are already available. The slo-mo reply should suffice in almost all the cases and the snicko can fill in the rest of the gaps (thought it has its own sync issues at times). But like you said, the most imp tool here is Common Sense and we won't need an extra penny to implement it !!

I've said in the past that instead of focusing at the issue of improving decision making process, some boards have started with technological aspects and then developed DRS obsession without looking at the alternatives. Then the BCCI-bashing also came in when BCCI asked some questions. Add to it that only a few can afford it.

Rare that I agree with u but here it is.

Dravid_Pujara_Gravitas
on January 26, 2013, 1:26 GMT

@CandidIndian, and at present, the rest of the world is living like Ostriches with their heads buried in sand. They simply don't want to use commonsense. They want to push a case for DRS everytime they see a howler, rather than using their common sense that DRS doesn't need to be invoked for howlers like LBW off inside edge. They are using slo-mos for runouts. Aren't they? So why not use it for inside edges? The hurried push for DRS for such a context/pretext smacks of vested interests. Talk of being adamant. Look no further than the boards of the world and some 'knowledgeable' commentators who think a howler like an inside edge LBW makes the strongest case for DRS. Not a cent of common sense in their arguement. Next, the way DRS is implemented, didn't we see in Aus vs SL Series how players have to go back though there is DRS? Its implementation is dubious, if I may say so, and its case is even more dubious. Gotta give it to BCCI on this issue. Please publish.

CandidIndian
on January 25, 2013, 19:58 GMT

@karthik_raja-Ive noted the points that you mentioned and i agreed with them already in my last post.Let me put it this way,BCCI obviously does not want ball tracker ,also you mentioned correctly that they are not comfortable with hot spot either and as i see it ICC and some boards supporting idea of DRS does not want half baked version of it.Only possible solution here is to give more powers to on field umpires and third umpires so that they can consult freely on any controversial decision.That seems to be the only feasible solution presently.

SevereCritic
on January 25, 2013, 16:52 GMT

DRS is not the problem. DRS didnt save Dave Warner from being given out LBW from an inside edge on the 4th ODI against SL. All that DRS did was enable Clarke review unsuccessfully a plumb LBW decision -- DRS doesnt prevent umpiring errors. Need better umpires.

Dravid_Pujara_Gravitas
on January 25, 2013, 16:10 GMT

@CandidIndian, you don't need DRS to enquire about inside edges for LBWs. Do you? DRS is a sham. Shame in fact! Justice can be delivered most of the times without spending an extra cent. Read Karthik Raja's elaborate explanation. Can't agree more with him.

Temuzin
on January 25, 2013, 15:03 GMT

From Indian team's point of view, 4 changes are necessary to start build up for WC 2015. Gambhir, Ishant, Ashwin and Rahane should be rested. Bring in Unmukt Chand and let him play a few games with seniors to provide him exposure, Dhawan and Rohit Sharma should rotate for second opener. Give pujara a few game in ODIs, Try Jadeja at his usual number 4 to see what he can do at that position vis a vis the current number 7 position. Umesh should come to replace Ishant and bring in Harmeet Singh to replace Ashwin and give him a few matches as an spinner. Team will be balanced.

Nampally
on January 25, 2013, 14:14 GMT

5Udh33r: I am not an England Fan nor a Fan of Root but an Indian Fan who appreciates all good Cricketers. Your comments about Joe Root are baseless especially when you are unaware of what your are writing. Root scored 57*, 39, 36 in the last 3 ODI's againt India with over 100 S/R. He also scored 73 & 20* in the only Test against India. You say "Don't big up someone just looking at one innings". This is not one innings score for a 22 year old Cricketer. On the contrary, he has performed consistently in all the matches he played. Even Captain Cook has high praise for Joe Root.Also in ODI's & T-20 you need to chance your arm & it is rarely chanceless innings when you have S/R of over 125!. I was amazed when he reverse swept Ishant Sharma for 4.

5udh33r
on January 25, 2013, 10:51 GMT

Joe root got his fifty with 2 miss catches and everybody is after joe root , even I can score fifty with two lives. Dont big up someone just looking at one innings ie , Dernbach did his best in England. England cricket board banging their heads for making him permenant.I say players like Dernbach , Joeroot
Sir Piyushchawla , Dinda are one match wonders.They can play one match in a while and does nothing for 10 matches.Waste of money and waste of time.

jmcilhinney
on January 24, 2013, 5:20 GMT

As an England fan, one of the biggest highlights of this whole tour has obviously been the performance of Joe Root. Most people, myself included, figured that, at best, he wasn't ready for international cricket. The maturity he has shown all along belies that. I doubt that many expected him to play an innings like the one he did here either. I certainly didn't. He's certainly hit the ground running more than Buttler did and looks far more composed against spin than Bairstow. On this evidence, I wonder whether they might prefer Root to Hales to open in ODIs if the need arises.

Al_Bundy1
on January 26, 2013, 15:30 GMT

We got lucky with our bowling. Sir Ravindra Jadeja finally showed up and the new pace bowlers have bowled well throughout this series and the previous one. But we still need to fix our top order batting. Indian Selectors should stop living in the past. Sehwag and Gambhir were good until 2011. But they have been failing consistently for the past 2 years. Why is it so hard to replace out of form Gambhir with an in form Dhawan in ODI?? In tests, replace Gambhir with in form Jaffer. This is a good time to build our bench strength in bowling by trying top Ranji performers like Ishwar Pandey, S Kaul, Nadeem, Parvez Rassol of Kashmir, etc.

Harmony111
on January 26, 2013, 5:51 GMT

@Dravid_Gravitas: For a change I agree with you here. You nearly echo what I had said a few days back for DRS. DRS is a wonderful idea but sadly it has a very high price tag and even then it comes with many *s A lot of the things for which DRS is being used or for which other ppl want DRS to be used can be solved with much simpler tools which are already available. The slo-mo reply should suffice in almost all the cases and the snicko can fill in the rest of the gaps (thought it has its own sync issues at times). But like you said, the most imp tool here is Common Sense and we won't need an extra penny to implement it !!

I've said in the past that instead of focusing at the issue of improving decision making process, some boards have started with technological aspects and then developed DRS obsession without looking at the alternatives. Then the BCCI-bashing also came in when BCCI asked some questions. Add to it that only a few can afford it.

Rare that I agree with u but here it is.

Dravid_Pujara_Gravitas
on January 26, 2013, 1:26 GMT

@CandidIndian, and at present, the rest of the world is living like Ostriches with their heads buried in sand. They simply don't want to use commonsense. They want to push a case for DRS everytime they see a howler, rather than using their common sense that DRS doesn't need to be invoked for howlers like LBW off inside edge. They are using slo-mos for runouts. Aren't they? So why not use it for inside edges? The hurried push for DRS for such a context/pretext smacks of vested interests. Talk of being adamant. Look no further than the boards of the world and some 'knowledgeable' commentators who think a howler like an inside edge LBW makes the strongest case for DRS. Not a cent of common sense in their arguement. Next, the way DRS is implemented, didn't we see in Aus vs SL Series how players have to go back though there is DRS? Its implementation is dubious, if I may say so, and its case is even more dubious. Gotta give it to BCCI on this issue. Please publish.

CandidIndian
on January 25, 2013, 19:58 GMT

@karthik_raja-Ive noted the points that you mentioned and i agreed with them already in my last post.Let me put it this way,BCCI obviously does not want ball tracker ,also you mentioned correctly that they are not comfortable with hot spot either and as i see it ICC and some boards supporting idea of DRS does not want half baked version of it.Only possible solution here is to give more powers to on field umpires and third umpires so that they can consult freely on any controversial decision.That seems to be the only feasible solution presently.

SevereCritic
on January 25, 2013, 16:52 GMT

DRS is not the problem. DRS didnt save Dave Warner from being given out LBW from an inside edge on the 4th ODI against SL. All that DRS did was enable Clarke review unsuccessfully a plumb LBW decision -- DRS doesnt prevent umpiring errors. Need better umpires.

Dravid_Pujara_Gravitas
on January 25, 2013, 16:10 GMT

@CandidIndian, you don't need DRS to enquire about inside edges for LBWs. Do you? DRS is a sham. Shame in fact! Justice can be delivered most of the times without spending an extra cent. Read Karthik Raja's elaborate explanation. Can't agree more with him.

Temuzin
on January 25, 2013, 15:03 GMT

From Indian team's point of view, 4 changes are necessary to start build up for WC 2015. Gambhir, Ishant, Ashwin and Rahane should be rested. Bring in Unmukt Chand and let him play a few games with seniors to provide him exposure, Dhawan and Rohit Sharma should rotate for second opener. Give pujara a few game in ODIs, Try Jadeja at his usual number 4 to see what he can do at that position vis a vis the current number 7 position. Umesh should come to replace Ishant and bring in Harmeet Singh to replace Ashwin and give him a few matches as an spinner. Team will be balanced.

Nampally
on January 25, 2013, 14:14 GMT

5Udh33r: I am not an England Fan nor a Fan of Root but an Indian Fan who appreciates all good Cricketers. Your comments about Joe Root are baseless especially when you are unaware of what your are writing. Root scored 57*, 39, 36 in the last 3 ODI's againt India with over 100 S/R. He also scored 73 & 20* in the only Test against India. You say "Don't big up someone just looking at one innings". This is not one innings score for a 22 year old Cricketer. On the contrary, he has performed consistently in all the matches he played. Even Captain Cook has high praise for Joe Root.Also in ODI's & T-20 you need to chance your arm & it is rarely chanceless innings when you have S/R of over 125!. I was amazed when he reverse swept Ishant Sharma for 4.

5udh33r
on January 25, 2013, 10:51 GMT

Joe root got his fifty with 2 miss catches and everybody is after joe root , even I can score fifty with two lives. Dont big up someone just looking at one innings ie , Dernbach did his best in England. England cricket board banging their heads for making him permenant.I say players like Dernbach , Joeroot
Sir Piyushchawla , Dinda are one match wonders.They can play one match in a while and does nothing for 10 matches.Waste of money and waste of time.

Scube
on January 25, 2013, 10:49 GMT

@Preciouss: Perfect comment to start the discussions in this forum! I'm concerned that Dhoni's unconditional love for Ashwin is harming India in the short run as well as in the long run! Our lead spinner / half-tracker has been comprehensively outbowled by the Eng spinners both in the test & ODI series and that's such a shame for our gloroius spin bowling past! I'm yet to see him flight a ball to any leading batsman of any team and reserves his unplayable deliveries for batsmen 8 - 11! Aussies must be hoping that this adventurous experiment continues for another 3 months! sigh!

karthik_raja
on January 25, 2013, 9:39 GMT

@CandidIndian. I am getting ur point. Please read my post on (January 25 2013, 05:15 AM GMT) where I have suggested few points. Bt, the problem I find in ur comment is "Just to resist Ball tracker BCCI is rejecting basic technology". What has BCCI got to do with "why cant third umpire intervene when batsman is given out LBW when he has inside edged the ball ,or when batsman has not nicked at all and vice versa". TBH, I am not a big fan of BCCI. Bt, I find very little problem with BCCI's stance in this issue.

CandidIndian
on January 25, 2013, 9:09 GMT

@karthik_raja @Nampally-Guys i remember Rahul Dravid's case and Vaseline incident too.All i am suggesting is that rejecting all aspects of DRS is illogical.That is why i mentioned the recent discussion by Aussies commentators in recent Aus-SL series and i agree to that idea that instead of referral system umpire should be allowed to eliminate basic howlers .As you guys are aware that now third umpire has the right to intervene when bolwer has overstepped ,in same way why cant third umpire intervene when batsman is given out LBW when he has inside edged the ball ,or when batsman has not nicked at all and vice versa.Just to resist Ball tracker BCCI is rejecting basic technology too which cannot be misused at all.Just think if third umpire(From neutral country) had the right to intervene Bucknor could not have made all those unfair decisions in Sydney test whih created huge controversy.In this match too decisions of Cook and Gambhir were horrible to say the least.

Sinhaya
on January 25, 2013, 9:05 GMT

@CandidIndian, also with DRS the umpiring errors will be less than when DRS is not used. Imagine what would the result have been last year if DRS was not used when England played Pakistan in UAE? What would have been the result if DRS was used when Pakistan toured Sri Lanka last year? What would the result have been if DRS was not used when SL toured SA in 2011 Dec? Would have been vice versa of what we saw. When we registered our historic test win in SA in Durban, Kallis was given not out for a close in catch and we referred it and got it reversed. In the inaugural series when DRS was used between SL and India, India would have won the test series if not for DRS. Lot of our LBW appeals against the Indian batsmen which were denied were reversed via DRS.

So if BCCI is against DRS they can allow the batsman or bowler to challenge so that the 3rd umpire can have a close look and make a 2nd judgement. Umpiring howlers decide matches. 3rd Umpire can closely judge without hotspot & hawkeye

karthik_raja
on January 25, 2013, 6:31 GMT

@CandidIndian. When u say BCCI has rigid stance reg DRS - its actually good than having a fluctuating stand. They have always opposed the way it has been used(since its inception), surely not without a valid reason. If u rem, BCCI has accepted to use DRS without Hawkeye, Snicko in Eng tour. They were trusting Hotspot then. Bt even Hotspot was not working as expected. Do u rem, Broad checking VVS bat?? Also, the umpire's knowledge of handling technologies(their interpretation) is highly questionable. (Some on field decisions were overturned without enuf proof frm hotspot in Eng series - Then WTH was it used) Dhoni perfectly put it as "Adulteration of human-technology decision making". So, BCCI's current stance is against Hotspot,Hawkeye and definitely not against eliminating howlers. And they have every right to do that. Coz, they are being forced to buy a product, which they don't believe to worth buy.

CandidIndian
on January 25, 2013, 5:53 GMT

@Sinhaya @Just IPL-Thanks for recognition guys,i agree about the cost ,Swann factor and also no. of challenges.Main problem is rigid stand of BCCI on this issue,as they have gone to no further discussion mode which is not good for cricket.Sadly because of that basic errors cannot be fixed, like we don't need expensive technology to make out whether there is an inside edge or ball is pitching outside in case of LBW decisions.When slow motions can be used to make out whether batsman is run out or not then why same cant be done in case of LBW decisions.Its basic common sense isnt it.Now third umpire can make a call on every ball that bowlers has overstepped or not , he can determine run outs but he cant make a call if on field umpire has given batsman out LBW when he has an inside edge or when there is no edge at all .Very frustrating for fans surely.

CandidIndian
on January 25, 2013, 5:46 GMT

@Sinhaya @Just IPL-Thanks for recognition guys,i agree about the cost ,Swann factor and also no. of challenges.Main problem is rigid stand of BCCI on this issue,as they have gone to no further discussion mode which is not good for cricket.Sadly because of that basic errors cannot be fixed, like we don't need expensive technology to make out whether there is an inside edge or ball is pitching outside in case of LBW decisions.When slow motions can be used to make out whether batsman is run out or not then why same cant be done in case of LBW decisions.Its basic common sense isnt it.Now third umpire can make a call on every ball that bowlers has overstepped or not , he can determine run outs but he cant make a call if on field umpire has given batsman out LBW when he has an inside edge or when there is no edge at all .Very frustrating for fans surely.

CandidIndian
on January 25, 2013, 5:45 GMT

@Sinhaya @Just IPL-Thanks for recognition guys,i agree about the cost ,Swann factor and also no. of challenges.Main problem is rigid stand of BCCI on this issue,as they have gone to no further discussion mode which is not good for cricket.Sadly because of that basic errors cannot be fixed, like we don't need expensive technology to make out whether there is an inside edge or ball is pitching outside in case of LBW decisions.When slow motions can be used to make out whether batsman is run out or not then why same cant be done in case of LBW decisions.Its basic common sense isnt it.Now third umpire can make a call on every ball that bowlers has overstepped or not , he can determine run outs but he cant make a call if on field umpire has given batsman out LBW when he has an inside edge or when there is no edge at all .Very frustrating for fans surely.

karthik_raja
on January 25, 2013, 5:15 GMT

Its good to see atleast now ppl r trying to understand the stance of BCCI regarding DRS. Sensible ppl will find that BCCI is not against DRS(Decision review), bt only bothered about how its done. DRS without Hawkeye and Hotspot is the way to go. I mean, the NOT OUT decision of faint nick which ONLY Hotspot can detect is by no means a howler. And if you can get right decision for "inside edges", "not pitching in line" LBWs,(which doesn't need Hawkeye) you will have all howlers removed from decision making. Only bad decisions left are very marginal and can go either way(the umpire thinks). And thats why we have umpires in the center - to make decisions. Few more amendments can be like - No player is allowed to question umpire. Instead, the third umpire/match referee is given that authority - Obviously, they are not payed for sitting idle until some1 calls him. Frnds, How many of you accept that this kinda system will remove 99% of really bad decisions. Suggestions are welcome.

Sinhaya
on January 25, 2013, 3:21 GMT

@CandidIndian, YOU are truly candid as your name suggest and I fully agree. DRS is meant to challenge umpiring howlers. But considering the high cost of DRS, way too little challenges are given. I think in tests there should be 5 incorrect challenges per team per innings and 2 incorrect challenges per team in ODIs and also 1 incorrect challenge in T20s. Surely is n't BCCI convinced that for balls pitching outside leg and for balls where it hits the pad inline or outside the line, DRS can be used?? Surely why not give the umpire at least the right to check with the 3rd umpire for doubtful decisions even if no DRS is there?

Al_Bundy1
on January 25, 2013, 3:00 GMT

Dhoni might be a great ODI captain, but Indian Selectors are not doing their job by providing him old wine in new bottle. Sehwag and Gambhir are finished. We have better openers like Dhawan and Mukund for ODI and Jaffer and Chand for Tests. Same thing with Ishant and Ashwin - they are never going to be match winners. Why not give a chance to Ishwar Pandey and Nadeem?

WAKE_UP_CALL
on January 25, 2013, 2:19 GMT

and for tests he isnt bad either with an ave of 38.00.and you call it poor.the only reason he is facing the stick is the way he has marshalled his troops in a odi manner in tests and the kind of players he selects in tests which lacks vision.otherwise in odi he is absolute destructive,reliable and match winner for any team anywhere in the world.its the other ten players which has led him down for past 18 months.and just because england has good couple of years in test cricket dont start jumping like frogs.rememeber all those years you faced thrashings from aus home and away which always said 5-0 or 4-1.indian selectors turned a blind eye to the expiry date of indian legends which caused indian team such humiliation.test cricket is what indians love more that is the reason laxman,dravid, are seen with utmost respect and are getting excited to see pujara turning into another legend in the near future.

WAKE_UP_CALL
on January 25, 2013, 2:08 GMT

@crisTROLL43 You are cricket supporter first Really !! odi ranking doesnt matter to us indian fans and even to others since we are WORLD CHAMPS till 2015.secondly why test rankings are in talks since there is no world cup for test teams however soon test championship will make sure that test rankings doesnt mean anything.if u would have watched 5th odi btw srilnk/aus IAN chappel,mark nicholas,ian healy were talking about dhoni that why he is the best in odi.so i believe these three men are true supporter of cricket since they were talking about a player who was not even playing that match.thats a impact he has on world cricket in odi.many former cricketers are also for a suggestion to make him bat at no.3 or no.4 since he has a phenomenal ability to make big odi hundreds so if you have time just check his stats.its his selfless responsible nature which makes him play down the order in case of any chaos which recently indian batting is going through.and for tests

BustIPL
on January 25, 2013, 1:00 GMT

@CandidIndian: I agree with you while all other human beings enjoy every bit of the technological development then why can't the Umpires. They are suffocated by not being allowed to make use of technology. Ethically we should make lives of the umpires easier and also eliminate wrong decisions by reviewing all doubtful decisions. Unfortunately, India's stand on DRS was due to the fact that they had to face Swann to retain their number 1 test ranking and Swann was getting a lot of decisions by DRS as he is really on target all the time. Later on despite denying DRS India lost in England and then Swann was instrumental in home series defeat to India as well. Poor umpres one day might use technology to the fullest.

Temuzin
on January 25, 2013, 0:43 GMT

@Nampally, who is Nadeem? And what is his accomplishment that you moan so much? Has he lit the world on fire and his selection is a must. Who is next Ishwar pandey? whose selection is a must? Then Pujara then Dhawan then unmukt chand, then Abhinav Mukund, Uthappa, Irfan, yusuf, munaf, Injured Praveen Kumar, Manoj Tiwari, so on so forth. If Dhoni starts including your players then the team will consist 111 players instead of 11.

Nampally
on January 24, 2013, 23:49 GMT

@CandidIndian:I am not sure if you followed the history of DRS for the past 2 years. It was used in the Indian Tour of England for the Test matches & ODI's. Dravid was given out 3 times once for bat-pad catch, once for caught behind & once for LBW. He had played the ball for LBW & did not touch the ball for the other 2 decisions. Third Umpire was wrong in each case to give the decision against Dravid with DRS being inconclusive. On each occasion Dravid was in great form - on couple of occasions with a century. There have been few other instances where Third Umpire overruled the regular umpire on inconclusive decisions & vice-a-versa. DRS is a very expensive technology + its originator has conceded it is flawed. BCCI rightly refused to use it @ huge expense when guys like Tendulkar & Dhoni were against it. ICC should finance this technology to be improved before it is acceptable to all Nations + have good Umpires.That is the bottom line.I agree with current umpires, DRS is better.

Dravid_Pujara_Gravitas
on January 24, 2013, 22:56 GMT

Where's KiwiRocket to enlighten us why this series win is a new low in Indian Cricket? BTW, where were you KiwiRocker when your Kiwi Team won the ODI Series against SA? Why is it that you couldn't care less about a Kiwi win but worry so much about India's matches? Such obsession with India can be seen in Indians and some Pakis. You are not a Paki. Are you? hahaha....Yeah, I know!

CandidIndian
on January 24, 2013, 20:05 GMT

Adding to my last comment i agree to many fans here mentioning that DRS should be accepted by BCCI.As far as i understand the issue India mainly has problem with ball tracker , i am not sure why other aspects of DRS cannot be used.Howlers like LBW given on ball pitching outside or on impact outside or inside edges can easily be eliminated.Edges can be detected with Hot spots or Snickometer.During a match between Aus-SL , Aussies commentators had very logical advice in this matter, they were discussing about DRS taken away from players and handing it to Third Umpire totally so that he can act every-time a wrong decision is given .Not bad idea at all..

Harmony111
on January 24, 2013, 18:28 GMT

@Nampally: No one doubts Pujara's talent or the chance that he should get but I guess it's high time you gave your Pujara obsession a break. In fact now you have also started talking about Nadeem and P Kumar & others. I think Nadeem, Dhawan etc were not even in the picture before this series so it really is weird that you now moan their absence and talk of some internal politics. WTH?

Don't you know that only 11 can play in a match with 1 additional 12th man? And why should Nadeem & Dhawan get a place when Dhoni's priority will be to get his older players back in form? Dhoni would rather want to see Ashwin & Ishant in top form. Moreover, India already is trying Bhuvnesh & Shami who have shown potential. Don't you think that a logical way would be to 1st be sure about their abilities before trying other players?

As for Pujara, yes he is unlucky but then Rohit did make the most of his chance. Ishant too is improving (I never thought he will). So Dhoni was right in backing them.

Dhairya13
on January 24, 2013, 18:01 GMT

Congrats To India for sure. But love to see batting of Root. Personally i like his technique and temperament both. Looking forward for Root.

ChrisCole43
on January 24, 2013, 17:59 GMT

I am a cricket supporter first and an England fan second. Although Eng are losing this ODI series I do worry that Indian fans seem to think everything is fine again with their cricket. It seems to me that the test series loss has been completely forgotten because India are winning the ODI's and are now back to Nr 1 in the world in this format (incidently this Nr 1 ranking is also due to NZ beating SA rather than IND beating ENG). Can any Indian fan expain to me why Dhoni is so good at ODI but extremely average, well actually very poor with gloves and bat, when it comes to Test matches (which for me is the true test of a cricket ability). Also it seems to me that Dhoni is obsessed with his personal stats and given the choice will only bat in ODI's when he can get a not out and increase his average - and this is the sole reason why his batting average is so high.

JG2704
on January 24, 2013, 17:58 GMT

@Bruisers on (January 24 2013, 08:24 AM GMT) I see you couldn't wait to return the trolling to YG , but 4-0 in the UAE and after getting mauled in the test series was pretty good going and prior to this series was our last ODI away series. We have not played at our best and IMO and many's opinions haven't given ourselves the best chance out here but I'm not sure how many teams would come away from UAE with an ODI whitewash in their favour

JG2704
on January 24, 2013, 17:49 GMT

Re the game/series well played India - deserved winners. As for England I'm sorry but they got exactly what they deserved (even before a ball was bowled) from this by either being too stupid or too stubborn selection wise.Always said I liked Jade as a character but I don't think I've seen one comment throughout the series who would have kept him in the side. If we can all see this , why can't the selectors?
It seems the selectors are happy to overlook seriel offenders in the failures steaks at both test and ODI level and too many players retain their spots due to past form.While I'd get rid of the lame ducks whilst we are winning , I can go along with the selectors with their continuity in such circumstances , but while we are losing I feel we need to act faster. I feel it must be dispirriting for those squad players who don't get a chance and keeping faith with underperforming players can lead to complacency. Also the resting of key players ensures there is no continuity anyway

Temuzin
on January 24, 2013, 17:35 GMT

The anti-dhoni fans in India keep harping best this and best that players recommending their selection. One best player took 87 matches to play something of significance. I dont know what and whom Dhoni can include in the playing eleven. If you hear fans they will suggest 250 best players based on their preferences. Indian selction committee should be made immune to pseudo experts, unimaginative former players and sensationalist media. Dhoni is the best thing that happened to Indian cricket in long long time and his captaincy is phenomenal. I think he should be left alone to experiment/build a team for 2015. Boycott was absolutely right when he said " India is DAMN lucky to have Dhoni" If given free hand he will make team India a force to recon during 2015 WC. India may win the cup again.

rsurya
on January 24, 2013, 17:25 GMT

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is the only reason for Indian Win. and dhoni will soon realise it and remove him from the team and bring in Sreesanth to accompany Ishanth the great. Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar next B.Kumar, victims of dhoni's other ideas.

BustIPL
on January 24, 2013, 17:04 GMT

@jatindeo Hats of to you. He still went for 47 runs and was expensive in later over as initially he got support from the pitch and fog and negative line. He had figures of 14 runs in 6 overs and then 33 runs in next four(8.25 runs per over) so with quality of supporter like yourself bowlers like Ishant are born. Please teach them to be brave and not use negative/defensive tactices. Dont be afraid of detailed analysis as we all are cricket lovers.

on January 24, 2013, 16:58 GMT

Very very pleased to watch Rohit's inning yesterday. Last whole year he was totally out of form after Aussie tour. I saw original Rohit yesterday which he was against WI just before that Aussie tour where he won back to back MOS. Now without westing any time he must be tried for home Test series against Aussies. We already have a slot empty at no 6 for him. Yesterday was a very crutial inning. Main feature was the match played in Mohali where ball swings most than any other grounds in India. Rohit opens the inning and handle the quality pace attack confidentely. Definately Finn, Besnen are quality pace bowlers. All those who always raises question about Rohits ability against swing bowling should have pleased after watching yesterdays Rohits performance. The form only was the Rohits probem. And you are not in form you always struggles. So Rohit, forget the past and concentrate on your future. Everyone is sure about your success. All the best !!!

andrew27994
on January 24, 2013, 16:28 GMT

Congrats Team India on another ODI series victory under the leadership of MSD! Actually it's very unfair to criticise Dhoni for his captaincy in Tests when clearly the entire team is struggling. My issue with Dhoni in tests is his batting and not his captaincy. A captain cannot be successful unless he has the best players in the team. When I say the best players I mean the best players in form.
Also the only reason India are the No.1 side in ODIs is only because of Dhoni's batting in ODIs. He is probably the 1st player any team in the world would want to have in ODIs.

Nampally
on January 24, 2013, 16:07 GMT

England lost 5-0 in the ODI series about 2 years back under KP's captaincy. It would have been the same had the first ODI not been blown by bad bowling from Ishant. It should be a lesson to England not to send a poor team for the ODI's to India again. England were missing their top class bowlers Anderson, Swann & Panesar. While the first 2 were rested, Panesar was dropped!.England batting was equally poor but for the 3 batamen- Cook, KP & Bell. Root emerged as the best Future ODI bat for England. But except for Finn & Tredwell, England bowling was v.poor. Dernbach & Bresnan should be discarded. India did not play their best side either due to internal politics in selection. Pujara, the best Indian batsman was benched in ignoble way.Nadeem the best LH spinner never made the squad. In-form openers Dhawan & Mukund forgotten along with P.Kumar& many more promising guys. India should set politics aside & pick the best guys based on their Current Form, Fitness & Performance-An Indian Rarity!

Selassie-I
on January 24, 2013, 16:06 GMT

@ Posted by kumarcoolbuddy on (January 24 2013, 14:39 PM GMT) Agreed, it's a huge achievement.. but the management are working towards the champions trophy now(And the WC in Australia), as we've never won a ODI trophy, which is in England.

You'll see the full team out in NZ as they have similar conditions to us and Aus. We used this tour to try a few new players and rest some top dogs as we're not focussing on winning an ODI series in India - we're focussing on winning triophies in completley different conditions so there is no point in risking injury in India, especially with the big guns playing double Ashes in between this! Although there was some swing on offer in the series, the selectors probably expected dust bowls or slow turners like the rest of us.

RK.Chandru
on January 24, 2013, 16:04 GMT

Now that Rohit made some runs finally, he'll go on playing for India irrespective of his performance for another year or so. That's how Indian cricket runs. Different yardsticks for different players... `wish. Shikar Dhawan or M. Vijay is tried in place of Ghambir at least and wish, Ashwin is rested and another fresh, young spinner is tried in his place...

batman_gothamcity
on January 24, 2013, 15:42 GMT

Congrats to team India . Well played , felt happy for Dhoni . His captaincy may have issues in tests but in ODI he is an all time great . He should really now start planning for Aussies . Gambhir should be rested/dropped for the last ODI and told to get his technique right by "correct " coaching . There has to be a x factor spinner to surprise the Aussies may be Ranji performance could be a indicator . England will be a good ODI side especially in Australia with the bowling powers of Anderson/Sawnn .

Temuzin
on January 24, 2013, 15:20 GMT

Great job India. Dhoni is a superb captain and as Geoffrey Boycott said, "India is Damn lucky to have Dhoni". Dhoni kept his cool at the face of not so imaginative criticism from former India captains including SMG, S Gangully and K dev. Media went into frenzy to criticise Dhoni for no fault of his. So called India experts failed to notice that India has almost C grade bowling attack and it's hard to win matches with fielders like aging arthritic Sehwag, Gambhir and likes. The two new bowlers, bhuvenshwar and Shami and emergence of Ravi jadeja as a fine alrounder and excellent bowler has provided ammunition to Dhoni and look what happened India is winning convincingly. Some of the anti-Dhoni fans needs to understand that.

Once again congratulations to India for a good series win.

CandidIndian
on January 24, 2013, 15:14 GMT

Good that India have started to win at home again.But lets not get carried away by this series win and getting no 1 ranking in ODIs.Negative points are that Indian batting is still vulnerable.Gambhir and Yuvi ,the so called senior lads have struggled against quality pace and spin bowling on pitches helpful to bowlers which is disappointing.Also can we afford to have such a long tail when we play overseas and will Jadeja be as good all-rounder as he is now when India plays Champions Trophy are difficult questions.Positive points are that so called weak link of India ,that is fast bowlers have done well in this series and also in Pakistan series which is a good sign.Rohit,Kohli and Raina have shown good promise and its time that Tiwary and Pujara should be added to the squad.Gambhir will be a sitting duck overseas if he does not make necessary changes to his technique.Both Gambhir and Ashwin have been major disappointment for India this season.

kumarcoolbuddy
on January 24, 2013, 14:39 GMT

@yorkshiregenius, you clear sound like a sore loser. Winning an ODI series in India is like a great achievement for ENG and do you think ENG would play with B or C or D team? Regarding umpiring issues- Cook himself agreed that umpired decisions went against both the teams. In 4th ODI Gambhir and Rohit Sharma were clearly victims.
FYI...Currently teams who are using DRS are still moaning of decisions against to their teams.

Nampally
on January 24, 2013, 14:27 GMT

Congratulations India on another fine & emphatic win. After a narrow loss of the first ODI, it was magnificiant comeback to win 3 ODI's in a row with total dominance. England consistently showed their weakness against left arm spinners of Jadeja. Had India added Nadeem, leading LH spinner In Ranji, England may have lost by even bigger margin. India were able to explore the potential of 22 year old youngsters, B.Kumar & Shami. There were many more hidden batsmen unexplored like openers Dhawan, Mukund & leading batsman Pujara & some youngsters like Mandeep singh, J. Singh, U.Chand, Panday & many other. In this match Dhoni's gamble in opening with Rohit paid off. Rohit would have got his century but for wrong LBW decision. Some English fans keep on harping on not using half baked DRS for England loss. But bad decisions were given against both sides - 2 Outs against India out of 5, in this match! Much has been made of Finn's Dead ball wkt. That should really be a No-Ball & rules revised.

Pujara need to spend some time in the field in proper match situation before Aus tour.

S27M
on January 24, 2013, 13:51 GMT

Gambhir has to go!!!! Foolish India let world most dangerous batsmen (Sehwag) out for Gambhir..... Dhoni doesn't like Viru therefore he's out whilst playing better than his left handed counter part. Besides that Sehwag stries FEAR in bowlers. They are not at ease whe they bowl to him. Its like havin a staring conest with a Tiger and your definetly going to blink first and than get punced at.

See I am happy India won but I expected that. England don't a good one day team ... test however a bit diffrent. They can play that they have classy players but not in the short format... let just say their Wasps can't sting as hard.

What I really dont like is the politics behind Indian cricket and Dhoni is lucky he has performed recently or trust me the heat would've been on him. No doubt he has been a special captain for India but if I had to $1000 on thline to see who would hit a Hundred first between Dhoni & Sehwag My money will always be Sehwag.

reghuh
on January 24, 2013, 13:11 GMT

Ishant Sharma out and Irfan Pathan/Sreeshant In and the team would be perfect

DINESHCC
on January 24, 2013, 12:59 GMT

COUNTER STRIKE1.6: He referred about WI drubbings during 1980s. WI defeated England 5-0 in 1984 (in England), 5-0, in 1986 (in WI) and 4-0 in 1988 (in England). It was with two years gap not continuously. At that time it was not England, every team suffered white wash against WI both away and home.

RichIOW
on January 24, 2013, 12:49 GMT

Dernbach fails again, Patel only good enough for 3 overs of spin. Briggs has sat waiting in the wings while we use part time spinners. Briggs has shown he is a top class limited overs bowler, hopefully the selectors will give him the chance he deserves, just as they have with Tredwell. We need 50 overs of quality bowling not 20...........

vpk23
on January 24, 2013, 12:45 GMT

Long way to go for team India. Never have they reach the stage where they can be called a Tight Unit. Pujara / Tiwary should be in & Yusuf Pathan given a good rope as he can finish off competition on his day and a proven match winner. Yadav or Aron back will increse the speed mointor racing for the future tours abroad.

Ajay02
on January 24, 2013, 12:27 GMT

Too much fuss has been created about lbw decision against Cook. You have to accept decisions without DRS. Gambhir and Rohit were given out incorrectly and they are quite crucial wickets.

on January 24, 2013, 11:45 GMT

I can't seem to log in in anything other than my personal Facebook ID so you will all be pleased to know the staff suffer just as much as the readers. To respond to several emails, a paragraph re Suresh Raina was accidentally deleted in the rush to publication. This has belatedly been restored. I can assure Suresh's fans that as far as I know nobody in the office is making a voodoo doll of Suresh who obviously played extremely well, so comfortably that he almost passed unnoticed. And, in our case, thanks to the lost par, he actually did.

Guernica
on January 24, 2013, 11:31 GMT

It's really not surprising England have lost. They have been playing with two and a half bowlers for almost the whole series. Finn and Tredwell have been good, but I have never seen a cricketer given so many chances as Jade Dernbach. I don't blame Dernbach himself - he ha's actually done everything he can not to get picked. I read the other day he has the worst economy rate of anyone who has bowled over 1000 balls in ODIs. And this is someone who has played half is games in England, where scores are generally lower. With two new balls, we need 2 or 3 new ball bowlers who are going to take wickets. Onions, Harris, Woakes, Meaker or even someone like Keith Barker would all surely be better options.

Professor.Biscuit.Khan
on January 24, 2013, 11:09 GMT

@ ayanraja

What are you talking about mate ? England lost 10 Test Matches in a row that too including 5 at home ?

When did this happen ?

Can you provide the link here ?

Selassie-I
on January 24, 2013, 11:05 GMT

England did win in the UAE, anyone saying that that's not an away series is out of their mind. It would be like India beating England in Ireland and us trying to claim that it was home conditions for the Indians! I think i'm right in saying that was our only away ODI series since Australia/World Cup - the pre Captn. Cook era. People should leave the judging until after we play NZ and Aus away this year.

Indian fans seem to be having a go at our away form, when they have by far the worst recent away record going. Funny how they are classing their series win in SL as away but not ours in the UAE, just double check the distances will you!

Also, England fans complaingin about the dodgy umpiring, that's just cricket, we have been outplayed in this series by India, but we've tested a few new players, rested a couple of seniors and have some serious positives to take, especially Joey Root! India have also shown that they might have some decent seamers coming thru

guptahitesh4u
on January 24, 2013, 9:43 GMT

Congratulations India for the series win.
Though England have lost the series, they must be happy with the talent of "Root". Also, Cook and Pietersen has shown that they are dangerous in sub-continent as well..
For India, Rahane couldn't do much in the few opportunities given. Lets hope that he gets more opportunity to prove his worth.
And lets also hope that R & R (Rohit & Ravindra) get some consistency and keep delivering good for the team!!

RednWhiteArmy
on January 24, 2013, 9:26 GMT

Considering there was no DRS, an indian upmire & an australian umpire, id say England did quite well. India won the battle (ODI) but England won the war (Test Match Cricket). 6-1 in the real cricket, what a performance.

In my views:- England was never a good ODI side. Its as simple as that !!!!!!!

ayanraja
on January 24, 2013, 9:03 GMT

@yorkshiregenius ... "I don't know how many teams have lost eight Tests in a row overseas" .... But I know which team has lost 10 Tests in a row against the same opponents (including 5 at home). And the answer is England :)

pdsina
on January 24, 2013, 8:48 GMT

Good news for all Indian fans. I have used ICC ODI ranking predicator and found out if India lose to England in final ODI and England white wash Kiwis , SA white wash Pakistan AUssie whitewash WA. Still India will be number one in ODI at the end of April 2013. You all know what that means.

Correct me if I am wrong or there is any other team can claim top spot.

Pappu_bhai
on January 24, 2013, 8:43 GMT

@yorkshiregenius-You are spot on in England matter.They never win outside home and even cant win against afganistan in afganistan.Even Bangladesh proved it that u cant beat them in Bangladesh.Atleast now you understood how talented your players are.

pdsina
on January 24, 2013, 8:39 GMT

I think indian odi team looks good and confident. All we need is Pujara for Gambhir in batting and Irfan pathan can come back to the side if he is fit along with umesh yadav.
so there will be a healthy competition among Ishant, Umesh, Irfan,Bhuvi, and Shami.
for three or four seamers to be played.

Good luck India and I hope this winning combination will win us champ trophy in England.

Bruisers
on January 24, 2013, 8:24 GMT

@yorkshiregenius - When was the last time England won an ODI series outside England? The Pak series in UAE was, technically speaking, played on a 'neutral' venue. England's last 'away' series win in ODIs came in 2009/10 against Bangladesh LOLOLOL. Whereas, India managed a 4-1 win against SL in SL which was India's only bilateral ODI series last year. England don't deserve the No.2 spot on the ODI rankings with such a poor away record. (cricinfo please publish)

NP_NY
on January 24, 2013, 8:06 GMT

Well done Team India. This is much needed after the earlier series losses. Good show by England too compared to their previous visits. Joe Root has been a revelation and Tredwell has done way better than his Indian counterpart (Ashwin). Looking forward to the next game between these two top ranked teams.

AM_Rocker
on January 24, 2013, 8:05 GMT

I think Jade Dernbach is over-rated death over bowler. No one will disagree with me that he has some very good variations in bowling specially his back of the hand slower delivery but he does not bowl consistently good deliveries, his economy rate suggests that.

rosh280
on January 24, 2013, 8:04 GMT

its well done rohit sharma. when you are in form you are awesome. you are a great batsman with great skills. dhoni and selection committee know your potential. we need murali vijay and cheteswar pujara also into the squad. Murali vijay, cheteswar pujara,rohit sharma are the future players of india. they have the skill, technique, sportsmanship, leadership qualities. we need to nurture and develop them into great players. we should give them opportunities. C M GOWTHAM, GANESH SATISH, DINESH KARTHIK, ABHINAV MUKUND, MANDEEP SINGH, TAJINDER KOHLI, JIWAN JOTH SINGH, ASHOK MENARIA are the other future prospects. MAYANK AGARWAL, MANISH PANDEY, AMITOZE, YOGESH NAGAR, GURKEERAT SINGH, UNMUKT,BABA APARAJITH are the other future prospects for oneday side.

caphanikumar
on January 24, 2013, 8:00 GMT

After all the Talk about the series win against England, we should not forget the earlier losses in Test Matches and also One Day Series loss to arch rivals Pakistan. One more issue to be addressed is why cant we try new set of Pace bowlers for the 5th ODI by releasing some of the players from the squad to have an early break for few of the players who are extremely tired and make them fresh for the gruelling Aus Series. Points to Ponder

moonoo
on January 24, 2013, 7:46 GMT

England's skipper Cook's attitude towards the umpires is not an honour to the gentlemen's game. I thought Cook to be a cool man; but the way he has shown his attitude to the umpires is never accepted. If an umpire stops a batsman after he has been suspected caught out just for the confirmation, in that case no captain should speak against the umpire. By the way congrates team India. But Mr. Dhoni and his men should keep in mind that their victory against England is not enough..

mastermed
on January 24, 2013, 7:45 GMT

This DRS business is nothing but hype ,with one review available,what is the guaranty that its available for review when wrong decision is made.just look at a match between srilanka and australia ,M clarke used the review and then both warner and henrigues were given LBW with big inside edge.

yogesh.gg
on January 24, 2013, 7:43 GMT

Posted by sweetspot on (January 24 2013, 04:28 AM GMT) : The records which you are talking of were made in tests against WI,NZ.In ODI's he has been a mediocre bowler who gets hammered by top order batsmen and takes lower order wickets here and there. It should not matter much whether he is bowling in PP or not as he is 'considered' to be india's best spinner. I don't think i am expecting too much from our lead spinner.Irony is when opposition spinners perform so well including our very own part timers who are having great time recently . I think people are right in pointing out his role in the team. Cricinfo pls pls publish this time.

landl47
on January 24, 2013, 7:42 GMT

Well played, India, congratulations on taking the series.

From an England perspective, this was the most frustrating of the three losses, because England had a chance to win and squandered it. Selecting Dernbach was a huge mistake- he has the worst economy rate of any bowler who has bowled 1000 balls in ODIs. In fact, if you added in his figures from domestic competitions, he'd still have the worst record. He can't do it at any level and still he gets picked. Then there was the Finn fiasco; although it was encouraging to see that he is getting his rhythm and pace back, he still hasn't learned not to knock the bails off when bowling and that cost England a crucial wicket.

Cook and Pietersen batted well and Root looks to have a great temperament. He's got the highest batting average and the second-best bowling economy rate for England in the series, a great feat for a youngster making hjis ODI debut.

Other than that, though, it's been all India in the last 3 games.

soumyas
on January 24, 2013, 6:53 GMT

@yorkshiregenius , in this match rohit's LBW decision was wrong, Gambhir's Catch was wrong decision, So no-DRS is equally troubling INDIA too, not just England. and it is been happening since ages in cricket. Do not complaint DRS for loss. But the point is BCCI should go for DRS in future.

DINESHCC
on January 24, 2013, 6:41 GMT

FAST_TRACK_BULLY: It is applicable to our fans also. We also predicted a 4-0 white wash on England in the test series. But once England started dominating the series such of those fans were suddenly disappeared including me.

DINESHCC
on January 24, 2013, 6:38 GMT

At the press meet, Dhoni was very happy not because of India's series win over England but his close aid used the opportunity and scored 83 runs.

chanakyas
on January 24, 2013, 6:27 GMT

WHYYYY no mention of Raina's innings in this article when he was the Man of the Match???

AM_Rocker
on January 24, 2013, 6:27 GMT

I think to become a world class allrounder like Gary sobers / Kallis / Klusener or any other allrounder from South Africa they had so many...Wow !!!!!Ravindra Jadeja needs to continue performing like this in future series as well specially in away conditions. Many all rounders from India for example Pathan brothers/Ratinder Sodhi and many more are all 1 or 2 series wonders. If he doesn't perform with the bat he should be performing well with the ball because he is a left-arm bowler and India needs a left arm spinner badly.

Dirk_L
on January 24, 2013, 6:23 GMT

Surely it's only a question of time until the ICC changes the law so that delivering while disturbing the stumps is a no-ball. Open-and-shut: no umpire discretion, no opportunity for a captain to protest.

androyuvi
on January 24, 2013, 6:18 GMT

I always thought only India keeps producing batting talents continuously and struggle in the management. But looking at Joe Root, and of course Alex Hales, England could have a formidable batting line-up. With KP, Bell, Trott, Cook, Root, Hales, Morgan, Baristow and Butler one can form a very good batting unit. England missed a trick by not playing Hales in place of Morgan, if Hales was fit to be played.
With Kohli, Raina, Dhoni, Pujara, RSharma, MTiwary, Yuvraj, Rahane, India can have an amazing batting oder, but only if they could find a better opening pair. It should be interesting to see how Indian selectors find the new operners. We have a good pool as in Sehwag, Gambhir, Dhawan, Vijay. Hope our batting unit for the next two three years grows and strengthens as rock solid.

cricktwins
on January 24, 2013, 5:59 GMT

It is a master stroke to promote rohit sharma at the top of the order.. I hope he repays the faith shown in him by contributing big scores in coming matches. suresh raina is an excellent odi batsman and asset for the team.

IluvInd123
on January 24, 2013, 5:50 GMT

@yorkshiregenius - Plz remember the same will be applicable to Engand. Losing 18 out of 20 matches in India. Y poms r unable to win more matches in India, one of the overseas series. Lol....

SherjilIslam
on January 24, 2013, 5:49 GMT

@yorkshiregenius: For your kind information, India reached the finals of 2003 WC played in SA, won the CB series in 2008 in Aus(including best of three finals), lost narrowly to England (4-3) in 2007 in ODIs. Defeated Pak in Pak in 2004 both tests and ODIs.
I don't like to mention here the wins in NZ and WI, since you will say they are minnows.
I really don't remember what England won outside their own den in ODIs against any quality opposition.One thing i do remember about England is one sided thrashing by India each time they turn-up here after the 2002 freddie show.

KanAloshFozter
on January 24, 2013, 5:42 GMT

How many times more does the England management see another miserable Dernbach failure before they omit him from the side?

on January 24, 2013, 5:41 GMT

Shameful England fans and their team haha. England lost almost all ODI series at home and away! I just wonder how many teams lost 4 consecutive away series in such a shameful manner. 5-0, 5-1 , 5-0, 3-1. fooooo!!! haha

yorkshiregenius
on January 24, 2013, 5:41 GMT

No doubt England C should have played better but it showed how difficult India to win even against England C. Number of matches India win at home is proportional to number of excuses they make to avoid DRS. The secret is when they play at home umpires get the best batsmen of opposition out as any decision can't be reviewed. As long as DRS is not there you won't get many LBW decisions against Indian batsmen. Since these favours are not available when you play away from home you might lose all test and ODI series overseas.

CricShanghai
on January 24, 2013, 5:39 GMT

In terms of viewing experience, the American sports are way ahead of the rest of the world. I'd love to see cricket commentaries backed up by more visual & animation with stats and 'live' indepth analysis that have viewers engage themselves in the game as though they are the bowlers or batsmen.
The new 'Starsports Beta' is great improvement. For the live commentary, moving forward to the next level of viewers' experience, for example, the runs' wagon wheel is already available, now is to incorporate it with bowlers' fielding positioning during life, in between overs or balls, can deepen the strategy analysis part of commentary, learning for youngster, add interest for such a long format of cricket compared to 1.5-3 hours max. football or basketball.
Cricket authorities, it's about time for greater innovations to elevate the viewing experience of the game. Kids are carrying iPads to the stadium or the gadgets are competing with sports for engagement time ! Think about it...

rojytvm
on January 24, 2013, 5:31 GMT

when India wins...........so many .....persons have so many problems......especially.....from the so called...westerners..!!!

If England lose to india...is that india's problem..? is that Umpire's problem..??....Evry team has their own problem.....at home and away..........no team is " above all" excpt..former WI team.

Now India will hav to concentrate more on developing a good test side..irrespective of BCCI's Zonal.....interests....!!!!

realfan
on January 24, 2013, 5:29 GMT

the fact the so many nations involved in crticising 1 contry's win shows how much jealousy they have made for other teams. how must frustrated the other teams because of their success .... now a year and half of lean patch and they are they are showing all those frustration at once.... dont worry that wont go off so easily.....
cricinfo publish

realfan
on January 24, 2013, 5:17 GMT

@yorkshiregenius
when jealousy creeps your mind people tend to talk many things...... jsut as your case is.... ofcourse india lost many matches in recent times , not as you told in the PAST FEW years.... its just 18 months..... and we won NATWEST series 2002 and we gave fight in 2007 , result was 4-3.... but you were never there for the fight.... dont know how many 4-1, 50, 41, 5-0.....there is still more to come..... wait for that..... by the way for your information NATWEST series was in England not in INDIA

jatindeo
on January 24, 2013, 5:16 GMT

@JustIPL if you ever have had leather in your hand you would never have had such stupidity on display .Ishant was a world class act yesterday and for any world class bowler ,the line ishant followed "just outside off and screaming of the pitch with controlled swing" is the ideal line to master as it has been in the 100 years of cricketing history .

Fast_Track_Bully
on January 24, 2013, 5:12 GMT

@yorkshiregenius. Yes true. But you forgot that it is applicable to England too. At least India do not have a humiliated performance in ODIs abroad. At lest we won few matches in away series too. A batsman like Patel or Morgan is only what you can find in England! No wonder why England lost almost all ODI series at home and away! I just wonder how many teams lost 4 consecutive away series in such a shameful manner. 5-0, 5-1 , 5-0, 3-1.

jmcilhinney
on January 24, 2013, 5:12 GMT

It was good to see England put in an improved performance with the bat but it didn't really look like enough at the time. Even with an excellent final 10 overs they still couldn't make up for a failure to accelerate through the middle overs. Cook's wicket certainly hurt and he must be frustrated, but it was compounded with the quick loss of Morgan and Patel. Also losing KP when he was starting to pick up the pace after a slow start was costly. He needed to go big. Buttler looked dangerous again and if he could have stayed till the end then another 10 or 15 may have been possible but it probably still wouldn't have been enough. The bowling was again lacklustre. Picking Dernbach again was all but suicide and Root was again better than Patel. Finn looked good but probably cost England their last chance with the dead ball that got Raina. The spinners were again the most economical and Briggs has languished on the bench all series.

those who bashing Ashwin should have critical thinking about cricket, he needs some guidance at certain situations, he is good learner and intelligent bowler

BustIPL
on January 24, 2013, 4:50 GMT

It looks like England did not come back after Christmas break while India faced quality bowling from Pakistan and also their bowlers had a go at weak Pakistan batting. This helped India surge to this point. It is really surprising that England cannot face a pace attack that looks like of an associate team or an average county side. Kumar has to be consumed early and Dhoni does not risk him in death overs. Shami is pacy but will get familiar with figures of 4th ODI in future and I will rate Umesh ahead of him despite his high economy rate.

BustIPL
on January 24, 2013, 4:49 GMT

Ishant is depending more on outside off lines so that batsmen take risk In reaching out for him with this he mixes balls on the leg stump line to cramp the batsmen for room. Obviously, in the initial overs batsmen not take risk but this strategy might be heavily tested against other sides. Ashwin is lost forever and not a useful bat in ODIs and Jadeja is not better than Shakeb. Indian batting seems coming to terms at least at home lets see the overseas trips.

Smithie
on January 24, 2013, 4:40 GMT

What has Cook done to the cricket Gods? He has been crucified by the lack of DRS during Englands's both visits to India. This is a disgrace and the BCCI and the ICC show real disrespect for elite cricketers like Cook. Clearly Indian umpires are taught a different form of geometry than the rest of the world that they have trouble viewing where a ball pitches. Cricket does itself no favours in a competitive sporting market when it allows continued blatant umpiring errors to impact on the game. Come on Srinivasan you are being made to look very foolishly with your stance on DRS.

yorkshiregenius
on January 24, 2013, 4:38 GMT

Even Afghanistan win ODI series at home. Only winning at home and losing all overseas series doesn't make much sense. Doesn't matter it's home or away, some teams perform well and win test/ODI series irrespective of match venues. On the other hand some other teams can only win at home. I don't think the latter is talented at all since their batsmen and bowlers become heroes only if they are provided appropriate pitch conditions. Otherwise they are worse than school boys. I like Dhoni as a player. He has played more than 300 international matches (ODIs + tests) and averages 52+ in ODIs. In last few years India could have lost most of the matches they won in Asia ( they won only few though) if Dhoni wasn't there. Even after being such a home hero Dhoni is yet to score a test or an ODI century away from Asia. That tells everything about Indian cricket. I don't know how many teams have lost eight Tests in a row overseas.

Manu_reddy
on January 24, 2013, 4:32 GMT

Good performance by india n its an much required morale boosting victory ahead of test series against australia..i hope india ll continue d same performance against aus too..all d best india for your future..

sweetspot
on January 24, 2013, 4:31 GMT

Great summation of the match! The man of the match gets mentioned for being let off, and for dropping a catch, and for figuring in a statistic. Nothing else. Very nice!

sweetspot
on January 24, 2013, 4:28 GMT

Ashwin bashers out in force again! No need of looking at what situations he is called on to bowl in, and in what conditions! No need of wondering how he has hit a few landmarks very quickly, and how flexible he is. No need of showing any consideration, or give time to figure out things, to a bowler like we do to batsmen. Let's think of bowlers like they are machines who should deliver all the time! Heck, maybe he IS a machine!

drrao.nit
on January 24, 2013, 4:24 GMT

Until bcci provide the quality pitches in India, No one can expect the miracle from Indian players

glancedream
on January 24, 2013, 4:14 GMT

so as i predicted before every match. india will win 4-1 this series

shwet14
on January 24, 2013, 4:06 GMT

its time to look beyond Gambhir. Agreed , he got a rough decision yesterday, but his recent record is average , to say the least. Its time to give opportunity to Pujara. He has the technique and proper cricketing shots to score fairly quickly. I'm sick of seeing Gambhir dabbing the ball to third man and getting out numerous times in the slips or to WK. Champions trophy is in england where we require a solid opener adopting a sheet anchor role. Pujara can do that.

Fast_Track_Bully
on January 24, 2013, 4:04 GMT

Congratulations team India. winning 18 out of 20 and 4 consecutive home series win is a great achievement. I just wonder where are the people who called Patel as a great batsman!. And some 5-0, 4-1, 3-2 English win predictors are missing!

realfan
on January 24, 2013, 4:04 GMT

wonder how ashwin keeps getting selected..... he should realise that he is not internatinal quality , at least not at test level and concentrate an playing first class matches.... mishra is better than ashwin

satish619chandar
on January 24, 2013, 3:36 GMT

A very good win for India. The areas of concerns - Death bowling and Ashwin's bowling. the top order woes stil continue. For England, it is a collective disorder. Batted in tough conditions and bowled to probably to the best in these conditions. @Preciouss : Pujara for Ashwin and you consider it as 4 bowlers? Are you treating RJ as pure bowler? May be, i would prefer Mishra in for Ashwin but certainly not Pujara for Ash. As much said, i would love the team to release Pujara for Ranji finals as he would get more valuable practice in longer format in pressure game ahead of Australia series than playing a one off ODI debut game.

I_AM_INDIA_SUPPORTER
on January 24, 2013, 3:22 GMT

congrats team India...keep on going :-)

Preciouss
on January 24, 2013, 3:03 GMT

For next ODI, Pujara for Ashwin. Ashwin gives away 60+ runs in bowling and 10+ runs via fielding. Part timers will not go for more than that. so 7 batsmen including Pujara and 4 bowlers formula should work out.

jmcilhinney
on January 24, 2013, 5:20 GMT

As an England fan, one of the biggest highlights of this whole tour has obviously been the performance of Joe Root. Most people, myself included, figured that, at best, he wasn't ready for international cricket. The maturity he has shown all along belies that. I doubt that many expected him to play an innings like the one he did here either. I certainly didn't. He's certainly hit the ground running more than Buttler did and looks far more composed against spin than Bairstow. On this evidence, I wonder whether they might prefer Root to Hales to open in ODIs if the need arises.

Preciouss
on January 24, 2013, 3:03 GMT

For next ODI, Pujara for Ashwin. Ashwin gives away 60+ runs in bowling and 10+ runs via fielding. Part timers will not go for more than that. so 7 batsmen including Pujara and 4 bowlers formula should work out.

I_AM_INDIA_SUPPORTER
on January 24, 2013, 3:22 GMT

congrats team India...keep on going :-)

satish619chandar
on January 24, 2013, 3:36 GMT

A very good win for India. The areas of concerns - Death bowling and Ashwin's bowling. the top order woes stil continue. For England, it is a collective disorder. Batted in tough conditions and bowled to probably to the best in these conditions. @Preciouss : Pujara for Ashwin and you consider it as 4 bowlers? Are you treating RJ as pure bowler? May be, i would prefer Mishra in for Ashwin but certainly not Pujara for Ash. As much said, i would love the team to release Pujara for Ranji finals as he would get more valuable practice in longer format in pressure game ahead of Australia series than playing a one off ODI debut game.

realfan
on January 24, 2013, 4:04 GMT

wonder how ashwin keeps getting selected..... he should realise that he is not internatinal quality , at least not at test level and concentrate an playing first class matches.... mishra is better than ashwin

Fast_Track_Bully
on January 24, 2013, 4:04 GMT

Congratulations team India. winning 18 out of 20 and 4 consecutive home series win is a great achievement. I just wonder where are the people who called Patel as a great batsman!. And some 5-0, 4-1, 3-2 English win predictors are missing!

shwet14
on January 24, 2013, 4:06 GMT

its time to look beyond Gambhir. Agreed , he got a rough decision yesterday, but his recent record is average , to say the least. Its time to give opportunity to Pujara. He has the technique and proper cricketing shots to score fairly quickly. I'm sick of seeing Gambhir dabbing the ball to third man and getting out numerous times in the slips or to WK. Champions trophy is in england where we require a solid opener adopting a sheet anchor role. Pujara can do that.

glancedream
on January 24, 2013, 4:14 GMT

so as i predicted before every match. india will win 4-1 this series

drrao.nit
on January 24, 2013, 4:24 GMT

Until bcci provide the quality pitches in India, No one can expect the miracle from Indian players

sweetspot
on January 24, 2013, 4:28 GMT

Ashwin bashers out in force again! No need of looking at what situations he is called on to bowl in, and in what conditions! No need of wondering how he has hit a few landmarks very quickly, and how flexible he is. No need of showing any consideration, or give time to figure out things, to a bowler like we do to batsmen. Let's think of bowlers like they are machines who should deliver all the time! Heck, maybe he IS a machine!

sweetspot
on January 24, 2013, 4:31 GMT

Great summation of the match! The man of the match gets mentioned for being let off, and for dropping a catch, and for figuring in a statistic. Nothing else. Very nice!